Michael Spikes

Michael Spikes credits himself as a practitioner-scholar who has spent more than 15 years in the fields of media literacy education (MLE), news media literacy (NML) and youth media.

In practice, he most recently has been involved in implementation strategies for incorporating units of MLE into existing K-12 curricula for educators in Illinois in response to being the first state to implement a requirement of a unit of MLE for all high schools. In conjunction with this work, Spikes is the co-founder of the Illinois Media Literacy Coalition and the Illinois state chapter leader for Media Literacy Now. He speaks publicly and leads workshops for incorporating MLE and its subdomain of news media literacy into various learning environments. His work is recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education as key resources for media literacy education, and by the Illinois News Broadcasters Association as a 2022 recipient of its Illinoisan of the Year award.

Spikes' research is centered on the practice and pedagogy of media literacy education (MLE) and news media literacy (NML) toward encouraging critical thinking to limit the effects of exposure to mis- and disinformation. His focus is on the design, assessment, and enactments of MLE & NML in classrooms and other learning environments.

Spikes earned his PhD in the learning sciences from Northwestern University's School of Education and Social Policy in August 2023. Prior to Northwestern, he previously held roles as a project manager for the Center for News Literacy at Stony Brook University, a media studies teacher in both public and public charter schools in Washington DC, and as a member of the educational advisory team at the Newseum. He has also held roles as a media producer and editor for NPR, the PBS NewsHour, and the Kellogg School of Management.